Love Is Thicker Than Blood
by luvnlivn
Summary: Haley and Brooke are adopted sisters who have been abused. They try to run away but get caught. It's more interesting than it sounds! Better summary inside! Chapter 5 UD!
1. RUN!

LOVE IS THICKER THAN BLOOD

LOVE IS THICKER THAN BLOOD

Summary: Haley and Brooke are adopted sisters (not blood-related) who have been abused repeatedly by their adoptive father and practically ignored by their adoptive mother. When the girls turned 13, they were raped by their father and their uncle. That was nearly 4 years ago. But now, they've had enough and they've decided to leave. Unfortunately, their plans are foiled in the worst way…

Chapter One: RUN!

"Shhh…" whispered Brooke. "We don't want to wake him up."

"You don't think I know that?" whispered Haley in response.

As they turned quietly into the living room, the light flipped on and they saw their father sitting there, as though he were waiting for them.

They both turned and ran, but he was too quick for them. He grabbed Haley who still had a hold of Brooke's hand. Instinctively, she ripped her hand from Brooke's. "RUN Brooke! Now! Get out!"

Before she could say another word, their father threw her into the wall. She hit her head and fell to the floor, unconscious. "HALEY!" Brooke screamed, turning around and seeing her sister like that.

Their dad dragged Haley onto the couch and started to rip her clothes off. "Shut up, you stupid whore. You'll have your turn in a minute." He smiled an evil smile at her before turning his attentions back to Haley's limp form.

As he turned away, Brooke reached into her bag and pulled out the pistol that she had taken with her just in case. She pointed it at his head before speaking in a low, threatening voice. "Get. Away. From. My. Sister." She emphasized every word very clearly.

He looked up at her and laughed. "What are you gonna do Brooke? You gonna shoot me? You don't have the guts." He sneered at her, standing up and walking towards her. "You just LOVE attention, don't you. That's why you do things like this. Well, fine. I was going to let Haley go first, but I guess you're just too selfish."

He reached for her and the gun went off, knocking him backwards onto the floor. He stared at his chest which was quickly being covered in blood. "What the hell did you do?! You'd better hope I do you fucking bitch!!" With that, he was thrown back by two more shorts being fired into his chest. He lay still after that.

Brooke had tears running down her face as she moved closer to him, gun aimed at his head this time. She kicked him hard in the foot, but he didn't move. She walked over to Haley and slowly set the gun down on the table before attempting to wake her sister up. "Haley? Haley, please wake up, honey. Please! I can't live without you, buddy!" She pushed Haley's hair off of her face, but Haley didn't wake up. Brooke grabbed the phone off the table and called 9-1-1. She held Haley in her arms and cried for what seemed like forever.

Suddenly, the air was filled with the sounds of horns and sirens. Two people were rolled out of the house on gurneys. One was loaded into an ambulance while the other, in a body bag, was put in the back of the coroner vehicle. At the same time two women, an older blonde and a younger brunette, were escorted out the house in handcuffs and put into separate squad cars. Soon the house was quiet again, but nothing would ever be the same.

**Author's Note: OK, so this is a story that I've been thinking about for a while. It's kinda depressing right now, but it will hopefully look up in the future. As of right now, it's going to be a Brucas/Naley story. I don't like Peyton, so if she's in this story it's only going to be a small, very small part. I haven't quite worked out the kinks yet but I think it's going to be great. So let me know what you think and I will try to update ASAP. For those of you who read my other stories, I'm sorry I haven't reviewed in forever. My computer died and it took me a long time to get another one. I am going to try to update both of the others soon as well. Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	2. Where is my sister?

LOVE IS THICKER THAN BLOOD

LOVE IS THICKER THAN BLOOD

Summary: Haley and Brooke are adopted sisters (not blood-related) who have been abused repeatedly by their adoptive father and practically ignored by their adoptive mother. When the girls turned 13, they were raped by their father and their uncle. That was nearly 4 years ago. But now, they've had enough and they've decided to leave. Unfortunately, their plans are foiled in the worst way…

Chapter One: Where is my sister?

"OK, Brooke. Explain it to me again," said the detective sitting across from her in the interrogation room.

Brooke sighed. "I already told you everything. And I'm not going to say anything else until you tell me where my sister is. I mean, why do you care NOW? You guys were called out to our house so many times. We would TELL you all the shit he put us through! And you would always believe him! Why should this time be any different? Now," she said sitting up and leaning across the table. "tell me how my sister is, or not another word." She sat back and folded her arms. Half an hour later, she was still being true to her word. Neither she nor the detective had spoken. He'd been looking at her and she'd been looking away.

Finally he sighed. "I need you to talk to me, Brooke."

They were silent for a minute before Brooke turned to the detective with angry tears in her eyes. "Where… is… my… sister?" she asked, cold and menacingly.

Detective Sherwood sighed. "I understand your courage and your compassion for your sister, Brooke. But right now, we're not sure if you're a danger to society and we aren't allowed to tell you anything that we feel might endanger the safety of our officers."

Brooke stared at him, incredulously. "Are you fucking KIDDING me?!" she shouted. "You think not telling me if my sister, my ONLY sister, is dead by the hand of our father or not is going to keep me from getting angry? Are you listening to yourself right now? My sister could be DEAD! And you've got me locked up in this room repeating my story over and over. I am not a danger to society or to cops. Even though pigs like you let our father get away with what he did to us for so long. I only a danger to anyone who tries to hurt me or my sister ever again!" She stood up and leaned over the table again. "So tell me where the FUCK my sister is, or I swear to god I will never speak again!!"

The detective stood up as well and got in her face. "Fine! Your sister is in the hospital. She's in a coma. Her is right leg is broken in three places. She has two broken ribs, a concussion and lots of internal bleeding. Is that what you wanted to hear, Brooke?!"

At those words, Brooke's hand flew to her mouth before she collapsed into tears on the cold cement floor. "Oh no… Haley NO!!"

Someone else came into the room. "You are way out of line, Sherwood! Get the hell out!" Angry footsteps left the room and someone spoke softly to Brooke.

"I'm sorry you had to find out like that, Brooke. Can you sit in the chair for me?"

The voice calmed Brooke down a tiny bit and she was able to get up and sit in the chair. "Is my sister going to be OK?" She asked softly, looking at the table.

"Honestly, Brooke, we don't know yet. But Haley is strong, right?" Brooke nodded. "Well, strong people tend to make it through anything. Especially with their loved ones there to encourage them."

At this, Brooke's head shot up and her breath caught in her throat. "My fath… my father is there with her? And my mother?" She couldn't breathe.

"No! No, Brooke. Your mother is in an interrogation room three doors down from this one. And I think you know where your father is, Brooke. You killed him."

Brooke looked up with a cold smile on her face. "Good. I'd do it again, too. I wasn't going to let that son of a bitch hurt me or Haley anymore."

The woman nodded. "I understand that. Now listen to me, OK? I am going to take you to see your sister whether anybody else likes it or not. Haley needs support to get through this and I know she wants you to be there as much as you want to be there." Brooke immediately brightened up. "But… I need to know the whole story. I need to know everything that your mother and father did to you and Haley. I'm sorry, but that's the only way Brooke."

Brooke sighed and sat forward yet again. "And if I do, you PROMISE that I will be able to see my sister and stay with her?" The woman nodded. "OK," said Brooke. She took a deep breath. "It all started when I was eight years old…"

Twenty minutes later, Brooke finished hers and Haley's story, tears rolling down her face. "And so I shot him. And I don't regret it at all." She looked up and saw that the woman was crying as well.

"That was… quite a tale, Brooke. I'm so sorry for all the things you and your sister went through."

Brooke shrugged and wiped her face defiantly. "Yeah, me too. But it's all over now, right?" She paused for a minute. "So can I go see Haley now?"

The woman nodded. "Yes, Brooke. You can. I have to keep my promise."

"OK," said Brooke. "You're gonna come with me right?" She nodded again. "Good. One question, though. Can you maybe look like… cop-like? No offense or anything, but my sister and I aren't really fans of your kind and if she wakes up and sees a cop there she might freak out."

"Hmmm…" said the woman. "You think I look like a cop, Brooke?"

Brooke nodded. "Well, yeah. Aren't you?"

"No, actually I'm not. I'm yours and Haley's social worker and I'm here to get the two of you into a proper place to live."

Brooke raised her eyebrows in shock. After a moment, she finally spoke. "What are you talking about?"

**Author's Note: Thank you all for your reviews and for adding my story to your favorites. So what does everyone think so far? Hope you all like it! Please review!**


	3. I Don't Know What To Do

LOVE IS THICKER THAN BLOOD

LOVE IS THICKER THAN BLOOD

**Summary: Haley and Brooke are adopted sisters (not blood-related) who have been abused repeatedly by their adoptive father and practically ignored by their adoptive mother. Now their father is dead and Haley is in the hospital. What will happen to the girls?**

ChapterThree: I Don't Know What To Do

"What are you talking about?" asked Brooke. "You're not a cop?"

The woman shook her head. "No. I'm not."

"So why didn't you tell me that? Why did you force me to tell you my whole story again when you already knew?! God, do you people enjoy seeing other people in pain or something? I can't believe that you lied to me, too!"

"I never lied to you, Brooke. I never said that I was a police officer. You never asked," spoke the woman matter-of-factly. "And I didn't know your whole story. I wasn't the worker originally assigned to your case. But that person had to go out of town in an emergency and yours and Haley's situation kind of… escalated quickly, so they sent me down here to try to get things straightened out. I'm sorry if you feel that I went about it the wrong way, but it's done now. So you can either sit here and mope some more or I can take you to see Haley. Your choice."

Brooke sat for a moment, thinking. "Fine. Let's go see Haley. But that doesn't mean that I trust you or that I really even like you that much right now." She started to brush past the woman.

"Well, Brooke. I'm sorry about that. Hopefully I will be able to change your mind about me. I really am trying to help you."

Brooke shrugged her shoulders and stood at the door waiting. The woman led her out of the room, then out of the police station and into a silver car. "So what can I do to make you fell better, Brooke?" asked the woman as she began the drive to the hospital.

"Well, why don't you tell me some stuff about you so that we're even?" Brooke spat out nastily, trying to move as far away from the woman as the car would allow.

"OK. Let's see, where to start? Well, my name is Jennifer Jagielski. I'm 37 years old. I have two sons: Joshua, who's 21 and Jacob who's 17…"

"That's great and all," interrupted Brooke. "But I meant something a little more personal. Something you wouldn't tell the average person on the street. Kinda like the stuff you tricked me into telling you."

Jennifer sighed. "I see. OK, how about the reason I became a social worker?" She looked for a response, but Brooke continued to stare out the window. "Good. Well, I decided when I was 13 that social work was my calling. I wanted to help kids that were in bad situations and try to give them better lives."

"Why?" Brooke interrupted again. "What do you care about us 'less fortunate kids'?"

They were both quiet for a second. "Because I was one of you," Jennifer said quietly. This got Brooke's attention. She turned her head to the older woman but didn't say anything. "When I was 12 years old, my mom died. My dad started drowning his sorrows in Jack Daniels and random women. Then he started gambling. Pretty soon we had lost everything. Our house, our car… My dad had no job. But he just knew that one more bet was going to fix all of our problems. 'This time I'm gonna win and we'll be rolling in the dough!' he would say. But he never won. And after he ran out of material things to bet, he began to bet my sister and I. We were used as collateral and forced to do whatever the person who won us wanted to do. Sometimes we just had to clean their house or wash their car. Sometimes it was more. My son was born when I was 15 because of one of my dad's bets. And so I left. My sister and I took off because we didn't know what else to do. He ended up catching my sister. He tried to force her to tell him where I was, but she wouldn't. She's been dead for almost 20 years now. She never recovered from the coma he put her in. And after that, I was even more sure of what I wanted to do. So I put myself through school while working two jobs and raising two little boys. And I've never regretted it for one second."

When her story was finished, Brooke just looked at her for a while. Finally she spoke, softly. "I'm sorry. Really sorry."

Jennifer shrugged. "I've dealt with it. Actually I'm still dealing with it. And for a long time it doesn't seem like it's going to get easier. But it does, Brooke. I promise you that it does. You just have to be willing to let it get better and let it get easier. And if you'll let me, I'll help you in any way that I can."

Brooke nodded. "OK… And I'm sorry also for how I acted. I'm just… tired of being deceived, lied to, hurt… I want to be able to trust people and allow my guard to come down, but I don't know how to. The only person who knows me completely, besides myself, is Haley."

"I understand that. And I will have as much patience as I can. But I will need some cooperation from you, too, OK?"

"OK. I'll try. So can I ask you a question?" Something had been plaguing Brooke's mind for a while.

"Sure, anything," responded Jennifer.

"Am I going to go to jail? For killing my father?"

Jennifer sighed. She knew this question was coming. She stole a glance at Brooke and saw that the young girl was staring at her and waiting for an answer. She shook her head. "I don't know, Brooke. We'll have to wait for the investigations to finish up before we know anything."

"But… it's a possibility," said Brooke. The way it sounded made it seem more like a question than a statement.

"Yes. It is a possibility. But a very unlikely possibility. You did it out of self defense and to protect your sister. IF the case even goes to a trial, any jury would be blind not to see that." Brooke thought about that for a second and nodded before sitting back in her seat and staring out the front window of the car. Jennifer started to reach for her hand, but though twice about it. "Try not to worry about that right now, Brooke. Let's focus on getting Haley better and then we'll come up with a plan of action.

"OK," said Brooke in a quiet voice. She had been avoiding thinking about Haley. The truth was, she was scared. She had seen her sister hurt before, but this was different. Haley was in a coma that she might never wake up from. It was more than Brooke would be able to handle. She shook her head minutely. No. Haley had to be OK. Brooke wouldn't make it on her own. Haley knew that. She was going to be OK, and they were going to finally be free and live the lives that they were meant to lead. Brooke nodded. She liked the sound of that.

The rest of the drive was silent. Almost thirty minutes later, Jennifer pulled the car into the valet lane at the hospital. After collecting the ticket, she and Brooke headed into the hospital and up to the information counter.

"Hi, I'm looking for Haley James. I'm her sister, Brooke James," said Brooke matter-of-factly.

The older woman behind the counter smiled at her. "OK, honey. Just hold on one second and let me look her up." She typed the name into the computer. "Oh… Ummm… I'm sorry, honey, but Haley James is not being allowed visitors right now."

Brooke turned to Jennifer with wide eyes. "I thought you said that I would be able to see her!" She turned back to the woman. "Why? Is she getting worse? I'm her SISTER! I have to see her!"

Jennifer put a hand lightly on Brooke's shoulder. "Brooke, let me talk for a second, OK?" Brooke shrugged her hand off and moved out of the way, fuming. She couldn't believe that she had let this woman trick her again. "Hi," said Jennifer. "My name is Jennifer Jagielski and I'm a social worker with Elk County. I'm Brooke and Haley's social worker. We should have permission to go in and see her. Here's my badge."

The woman looked at what she was given. "Well, I'll have to call my supervisor." Jennifer nodded and stepped back from the counter to give the woman privacy to talk on the phone.

Brooke sighed at the exchange. She was never going to be able to see Haley. They waited without speaking while the woman talked to her supervisor. Finally she hung up and both Brooke and Jennifer stepped closer to the desk. The woman smiled at them. "OK, you have clearance to see Haley. She's in room 2523. You just go through the hall and up the elevator and…"

Once they had gotten the directions, Brooke took off in the direction of Haley's room, Jennifer right behind her. When she got outside the door of room 2523, however, she stopped. Jennifer had stopped as well and was watching Brooke closely. She could see that the young girl was starting to panic slightly. She walked closer cautiously. "Brooke? Are you OK?"

Brooke looked at her, but didn't say anything at first. Finally, she spoke. "I don't know if I can go in there. I mean, Haley's in there and she's hurt and I can't help her and… I don't know what to do…" Tears were starting to well in her eyes but she refused to let them fall. This woman probably already thought that she was weak. She didn't need to give her any more proof.

Jennifer, however, had another idea. "Oh, Brooke," she said and pulled Brooke into a loose hug. Brooke stiffened immediately. She wanted to relax into the hug and cry, but she couldn't. "Sorry," Jennifer muttered, letting her go. She settled instead for looking straight into Brooke's eyes. "Brooke, Haley needs you right now. She needs you to sit next to her bed and hold her hand and assure her that everything is going to be OK. She needs you to be brave for her. And she needs you to be there so that she has a reason to wake up."

Brooke nodded and walked slowly into the room and sat next to the bed, fighting back her tears. She grabbed her sister's hand firmly but carefully. "Hi, Haley," she whispered after a moment of silence. "It's me, Brooke. I need you to wake up, OK? I mean, I know that you're going to be OK and everything, but I really need you to wake up and show me that yourself. Please, Haley. Please wake up. If you can hear me, wake up. Move your fingers or your toes or open your eyes or something. Please…" Brooke laid her head on the bed and began to sob. She looked up, however, when she felt Haley's fingers move slightly.

**Oh no! A cliffhanger! I know, I'm horrible for making you all wait so long for this new chapter and then leaving it at a cliffhanger. If any of you read any of my other stories, you will probably have noticed that I have something that I call my "Two Chapter Curse". I get really excited about a new story idea, I write two chapters of it, and then lose it. I forget everything that I wanted to happen in the story and I get stuck. It's awful. But I am going to try REALLY hard to get back on track with them. And this one, too! I hope you guys liked this new chapter. Please review and let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!**


	4. Tell Me Your Story

LOVE IS THICKER THAN BLOOD

LOVE IS THICKER THAN BLOOD

**Summary: Haley and Brooke are adopted sisters (not blood-related) who have been abused repeatedly by their adoptive father and practically ignored by their adoptive mother. Now their father is dead and Haley is in the hospital. What will happen to the girls?**

Chapter Four: Tell Me Your Story

"Please, Haley. Please wake up. If you can hear me, wake up. Move your fingers or your toes or open your eyes or something. Please…" Brooke laid her head on the bed and began to sob. She looked up, however, when she felt Haley's fingers move slightly. "Haley? Can you hear me?" she whispered softly.

Haley's eyes fluttered but didn't open. Her mouth opened slightly and she groaned quietly, then laid still again.

"Umm… OK, Haley. Come on, Sis. Wake up. You're nearly there." Brooke stood up and touched Haley's face softly. "Come on Haley. Please wake up. I need you." She squeezed Haley's hand again and waited.

After a minute she realized that Haley must have fallen back into unconsciousness again. She slumped back into her seat and waited. At that time, Jennifer and a doctor walked into the room. They had already apparently been talking in the halls.

"So what can we expect now, Dr. Mikowski?" asked Jennifer as she walked closer to Brooke.

"Well, we just need to wait for Haley to wake up. Most of her injuries will start to heal once she wakes up and decides to heal herself. Her bones have been set, her concussion has been taken care of and everything points to her making a full recovery as long as we can get her to wake up soon."

Brooke looked up at the doctor. "I think that she's starting to try to wake up. A minute ago, she moved her fingers and she kinda groaned a little bit, but then she got still again."

Dr. Mikowski nodded. "That's a good sign. Make sure that you talk to her and let her know that you are here for her. The more support and love she has, the easier it will be for her to wake up." After a slight pause he continued. "Well, I will leave you all alone for a while. A nurse should be in soon to check her vitals and everything and I will be back later on to check on her again. Please let one of the nurses know immediately if anything changes, OK?"

Brooke and Jennifer nodded. "OK, Doctor," responded Brooke. "Thank you for taking care of my sister."

The doctor nodded again. "You're very welcome."

He left the room and Brooke turned back to Haley. Jennifer sat in a chair at the table that was near the window. Neither of them said anything for a while. Finally, Brooke turned to Jennifer. "Did he tell you how long it would be before Haley wakes up?"

Jennifer shook her head. "No, Brooke. He said that it was all up to Haley at this point. She has to decide when she's ready to wake up."

Brooke nodded and turned to Haley again. "You hear that, Hales? Everybody's just waiting for you. You can wake up whenever you want to. It's OK. You're safe now." She squeezed Haley's hand before getting up and walking to the window. She looked out and smiled softly to herself. "We're both safe now, Haley."

Jennifer's cell phone rang loudly at that moment, scaring both of them. She flipped it open quickly. "Hi, Jake. What's up honey?" She paused as she listened to her son. "Well, I'm still going to be at work for a while longer. Can your brother pick you up after practice?" Another pause. "OK. Well then I'll see you when I get home. Have fun with Lucas and Nathan. I love you. Bye." She hung up and smiled at Brooke. "That was my youngest son. He plays basketball at his high school."

Brooke half-smiled back. "That's nice." She sat down across from Jennifer. "So where do you live? I mean, do you actually live here in Wilmington?"

"No," said Jennifer with a smile. "I was never a fan of big city life. I live in a small town just south of here called Tree Hill. It's a really great place."

Brooke nodded. "Will you tell me about it?" Jennifer looked at her, puzzled. "Just until Haley wakes up, you know? I need some kind of a distraction."

Jennifer smiled at her. "Sure, Brooke. What would you like to know?"

They spent the next hour or so talking about Tree Hill. Brooke was indirectly introduced to all the important characters in Jennifer's life. There were, of course, her sons. Joshua was 21 and was in his senior year at Chapel Hill. He and his girlfriend, Leah, were getting married the following summer. And Jake was 17 and was just finishing his junior year of high school. He and his girlfriend, Peyton, had been together for nearly three years and were very happy together. Jake's best friends were Lucas and Nathan Scott. They were cousins who grew up as close as brothers. Nathan lived with his parents, Deb and Dan Scott, while Lucas lived with Keith and Karen Scott. All of the boys had known each other since they were little and had been best friends since the first day they met. Deb, Karen and Jennifer were all close friends, as well. Karen ran a café and a nightclub while Deb was a high-powered executive in a movie production company. And Jennifer, as we know, was a social worker. Dan and Keith were brothers who owned a car dealership and repair center. They had been working together for a long time. Jennifer's father, Brian "Whitey" Durham, lived with her and Jake ever since her husband had left her. He coached the boy's basketball team at the high school and kept an eye on all the kids to make sure they stayed out of trouble.

"And that's it. We all lead very small, mostly uninteresting lives. But we enjoy them, and each other, immensely."

"That sounds wonderful," said Brooke with a sigh. "To be able to be so close to so many people and have such wonderful friends to rely on. It sounds almost like a dream."

"You and Haley must have had some great friends, though, Brooke. Tell me about them," Jennifer urged carefully. She wanted to find out more about her charges, but she didn't want to push.

Brooke eyed her suspiciously for a minute before deciding that she was just asking out of curiosity. There was no ulterior motive that she could see. Finally, she nodded. "Yeah, we had a few good friends…"

Brooke took her turn introducing Jennifer to her and Haley's world. Of course, neither of them had been close to their adoptive parents and neither of them knew who their real parents were. But they had some friends who loved them despite what they went through at home. There was Rachel Gattina, the wonderfully fiery redhead. She could always be counted on to lift the girls' spirits when they were sad or depressed about their lives. She could distract someone better than anyone Brooke knew. There was also Chase Adams. He had been closer to Brooke than to Haley, although he cared deeply for both girls. They had tried to date once, but Brooke just couldn't do it. It was too hard to let herself be that open to someone. Chase knew everything about her, but not like that. Skills Taylor was like an older brother to the girls. He was a year ahead of them, and was constantly looking out for them. He was the one who had insisted that they call the cops the times that they had. He tried to help them as much as he can. He had an apartment because his parents had left to travel the world and the girls stayed there often because he made them feel safe. Then there was Chris and Chastity Keller. They were twins that the girls had met their freshman year of high school. They were also adopted, although their adoptive parents were wonderful, so they understood somewhat how the girls felt. Haley and Brooke were always welcome at their house and had spent many nights there when their dad came home wasted and they were scared.

"They all really helped us out and took good care of us when we needed it," said Brooke. "I don't think either Haley or I would have made it this far without them. They saved us both a few times."

"They sound wonderful, Brooke. It sounds like you really did have a great support system with your friends. You and Haley both."

Brooke nodded. "Yeah. But Haley's the only support that I really NEED. As long as she believes in me, I know I can do anything. And vice versa. We're not really blood sisters, you know, but that has never mattered. She's been my sister since day one and she feels the same way. Not that having our friends was a problem or anything. I love them for everything that they've done for us. I just wish that they could be here now for Haley. Maybe I'm just not enough to wake her up."

Jennifer lightly place her hand on top of Brooke's and was pleasantly surprised when she didn't pull away. "You ARE enough Brooke. Haley just needs to wake up on her own time. She'll know when she's ready. I promise."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," said Brooke. She pulled her hand from beneath Jennifer's after a minute, uncomfortable with the closeness, and sat back. They fell into a comfortable silence and glanced between the window, each other, and Haley for a while.

Just when they started to feel a little tense, a croaky voice came from the bed in the middle of the room. "Brooke?"

**Author's Note: GASP! Haley's awake!! Yay!! I know that this story has been mostly Brooke, but Haley will slowly become a bigger part of the story. And this chapter was great for introducing the other characters in the story. Obviously, some things are different. But most things are the same. I like the idea of Whitey really being a grandfather to one of the kids, and for some reason Jake seemed the likely choice. We'll see how well that plays out. Or not, I suppose. Well, I didn't get any reviews (not even one… sniff sniff) on the last chapter, so that makes me think that I'm not making this story interesting enough. But a lot of people added it to their favorites, so I don't know. But I will try to continue to write. Hopefully you all will start to review!! Please review!! Thanks for reading!**


	5. What Did You Do?

**Author's Note: OK, so I royally screwed up on the last chapter. Whitey is not Jennifer's father. I put that in there, then meant to change it when I read the previous chapters and forgot. Jennifer's dad was horrible to her, if you will remember from the previous chapters. So let's forget that I ever wrote that and we'll all think of Whitey as Jennifer's uncle who is a father-type figure to her and who stepped in as grandfather to Josh and Jake. So yeah… sorry! On with the story!**

"Brooke?" asked a croaky voice from across the room.

Brooke shot out of her chair and was at Haley's bed before Jennifer had even comprehended that it was Haley that spoke. "Haley? Oh my God, you're awake! Hi, honey! How do you feel? Do you know where you are? Do you remember anything?"

Haley blinked rapidly, confused. Jennifer lightly touched Brooke's arm. "Brooke, let's give her a chance to focus, huh?"

"Oh, OK," said Brooke nodding, but not looking away from Haley. "Oh, Haley. I'm so glad you're awake. I missed you so much. And I was so worried about you." And with that, the tears began to fall. She sat in the chair next to the bed, held Haley's hand and put her head on the bed to cry.

Haley reached over and stroked Brooke's hair with her other hand. "Shhh… It's OK, Brookie. I'm OK. I promise."

It took a few minutes for Brooke to calm down enough to look at Haley. "Yeah… you are OK. We're both going to be OK now." She stood up and hugged her sister gently. "I'm gonna go find the nurse and tell them that you're awake. But I'll be right back, OK?"

Haley pushed her forehead against her sister's. "OK. I love you."

Brooke smiled. "I love you too, little sister."

With that, she practically flew out of the room, ecstatic that Haley had finally woken up. Meanwhile, in the room, Haley was sizing up Jennifer while Jennifer stood there, slightly uncomfortable. Finally she held out her hand. "Hi Haley, my name is Jennifer and I'm…"

"You don't have to tell me who you are," said Haley with ice in her voice. Jennifer was so shocked by the quick change in Haley that she stood, frozen, with her arm still outstretched. "It's obvious that you're a cop. And forgive me if I don't care that you're supposedly here to help us. I've heard it all before. So why don't you just get the hell out of my room and leave me and my sister the hell alone?"

After a moment, Jennifer got her voice back. "Well, I'm very sorry that you've had such a negative experience with the police force. I am happy to report, though, that I'm not a part of it. I'm your social worker, Haley. Yours and Brooke's, actually."

Haley eyed her suspiciously. "What do we need a social worker for?"

"Do you remember anything about what happened the night you went into a coma, Haley?" Jennifer asked after a pause.

Haley looked at her, confused. She shook her head. "No. I don't even know… How long have I been in a COMA?"

"Almost two days, actually," said Jennifer. "But I'm going to let Brooke explain it to you, OK? I figure that you'll both be more comfortable with that."

A few minutes later, Brooke came back in the room and immediately flew to Haley's side and held her hand. "How are you feeling, Hales?"

Haley looked at Jennifer, who nodded encouragingly. "Uhh… I'm feeling OK. But I'm a little lost. Why am I here, Brooke? What happened?"

Brooke looked down, ashamed, then looked back at Haley. "Ummm… well, what do you remember?"

"Nothing, really. I remember Jimmy was in a bad mood. And we were… did we decide to leave?"

"Yeah, we did. But uhh… Jimmy caught us, Haley." Brooke was now fighting back tears and Haley was starting to cry because Brooke was crying.

"He caught us?" Brooke nodded. "Is that why I'm hurt?"

Brooke nodded again. "Yeah, we tried to run, but he grabbed you. I tried to fight him off, but he was too strong. So I… I had a gun, Haley."

Haley's eyes widened in surprise. "A gun, Brooke? Where did you get a gun from? Oh God, Brooke. What did you do?"

Brooke began to sob before continuing. "I shot him, Haley! He was hurting you and I wasn't going to let him hurt you anymore, so I shot him. And I killed him."

Haley gasped. "Oh my God. Brooke…" She pulled Brooke into a hug as they both cried. "It's gonna be OK, Brooke." She looked at Jennifer. "It IS going to be OK, right? That's why you're here, right? What's going to happen to us? Do we have to go back with Jess… with our mother? Brooke's not going to jail, is she?"

Brooke shook her head and pulled back to look at Haley, speaking forcefully. "No, Haley. I am NOT going to jail. We're NOT going to be separated, OK? Everything is going to be OK and we're going to get out of here and finally have a real family, OK? I know it."

Haley looked at Jennifer again for confirmation. "I'm going to do everything I can to help you and Brooke, Haley. EVERYTHING that I can. And we're going to figure out a way for you and Haley to be together and finally happy."

Haley nodded and pulled Brooke closer to her again. "Thank you."

**Author's Note x2: So that's it for this chapter. Did you like it? I hope so. It was probably kinda lame, but Haley had to know what happened so that she can support Brooke through the trauma of killing their father. So I'm not sure exactly how this story is going to go still. Let me know if you have any suggestions! And please review! Thanks for reading!**

**And P.S. How freakin awesome was the season premiere tonight? AAAHH!! Even though Lucas picked stupid Peyton… Sorry for those of you who like Peyton. I can't STAND her!!**


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